Lupe and Selina Play Through the Storm

Lupe’s own interests centered on her players and the season’s competition. Nothing too fancy. It gave her the comfort of a contained world where only the sport mattered. Now that Lupe had crossed the line into management, pressures like the provost’s planning and PR meeting loomed over her. The need to appease the university administration, the alumni, the players’ parents, and the public heightened her stress and reduced the pure joy of the game.

Lupe arrived at the freeway ramp and joined the waiting cars. Bonnie’s note slipped off the dashboard and onto the seat. What did she scrawl at the bottom? It looked like an X. Then she realized Bonnie had written an MX, for Mexico. Bonnie had mentioned an invitation to the softball tournament in Mexico in the mail pile. None of the sports teams ever traveled out of the country. Suddenly, glamorous headlines popped into her head: “International Competition a First for Long Beach Waves.” “Waves Reach International Waters.” How would the public relations experts get mileage out of this event?

Questions and doubts filled her mind. How much would it cost to take the team abroad? What if the team experienced a disastrous tournament? Suppose they fell ill while across the border? What about this Mexican player? How might she integrate with the team? Lupe could not stop these questions.